Fried Bologna Sandwich

I know the title of this says “Fried Bolgona Sandwich” but does anyone actually pronounce it as “Bologna?” We don’t. It’s baloney to us. So I guess I should have titled this Fried Baloneys since we don’t really say the sandwich part either. It is understood that when you say you want some fried baloney that you are referring to a sandwich.

For those of you who have enjoyed a fried baloney, you are probably particular about the way you like yours. There are all kinds of techniques and toppings and condiments folks like. And you probably like it whatever way yo Momma made it. And of course, that will always be the right way. If you’ve never had this before then you are probably scratching your head wondering why on earth anyone would ever eat baloney, much less fry it. Well, cause it’s good. Simple as that.

This is probably one of my husband’s favorite sandwiches. He ate these a lot as a kid and he still loves them now. Now his particular approach to this sandwich is to use thin cut baloney, and fry it till it’s dark and then slap it on some white bread with a good glob of mayo. I, on the other hand, like to use a thick cut baloney, toasted bread and a good shmear of mustard. And if tomatoes are in season, a nice ripe slice of tomato on top is outta this world. So you see? It’s all on what you grew up with. But no matter what you put on it, it is still a cheap but yummy sandwich that takes you back to your childhood.

Cut an X-shaped pattern in your bologna. Now, I’ve seen some folks cut out funny shapes from the edges of the bologna all to help keep the bologna flat while it’s cooking. You can do that too, whatever floats your boat.

Put a skillet over medium heat and throw a pat of butter in (about a tablespoon). If you need more butter as you’re cooking these, just throw a bit more in.

When butter is melted, start frying up your bologna.

At this point, you want to fry it until it reaches your desired color. My husband likes his pretty dark. I like my edges to be crispy. Whatever your personal preference is.

When it is finished, put it on your bread. Also, if you prefer, you can toast your bread too. It gives it an extra little crunch.

I like to put a little mustard on my bread. Gene likes mayo only on his.

It makes a funny little bowl shape. Don’t worry, you can just push it down a little when you stick your other piece of bread on top. But it makes a handy little holder for a nice slice of tomato on top.

Serve with some chips and an ice cold glass of Coca Cola. And take a trip back to some simpler days….

Reader Interactions

Comments

Yum! This is my husband's request for his birthday every year. Of course, he has it "his" way: red onion, tomato and lettuce. "my" way is with cheese and a fried egg on top. But, we only have them once year so it's okay. Since we are both off work today, and there's baloney in the fridge….I could be making this for lunch!

I lived on bologna sandwiches as a kid! White bread, mustard, and a couple pieces of bologna 🙂 yum! I've never had a friend version though, looks dangerous! I woulda eaten one of those every day growing up!

I am absolutely smiling so big right now. This has brought back some memories. One of our favorite breakfasts growing up was fried bologna and scrambled eggs. Mom always cut slits in the side so it cooked up like a flower. Thanks for the memory! (I really can't believe she served us fried bologna for breakfast!)

We grew up with 2 kinds of fried baloney, breakfast and as a sandwich. As a sandwich, just a little mustard on bread with a crispy fried piece of thick baloney. But times were tough and some mornings we had baloney (or the real deal hotdogs, tip to tail we call them now, split down the middle – we are talking the early 70's people) fried all crispy and with a little syrup or molasses drizzled over it. I loved those mornings. Before anyone says 'yuk!' baloney & hotdogs are sort of another version of sausage… Especially back then. Everyone have a wonderful morning!

Oh yum what great memories!I grew up on it two ways…Fried crisp with ketchup on white bread.And also thin cut cold on white bread with a touch of mustard! Greasy Potato chips with both of course and a Dr Pepper or R.C. Cola!We lived on this stuff as kids.We would be out playing( all day) and run home when we got hungry to make a quick Boloney sandwich for lunch ..Oh the Memories Thank you so much for that:)))))

Luv fried baloney sandwiches, definitly mayo and cheese for usWe also had a fav growing up. Baloney boats!,Same concept only dont cut the slits and it will curl up like a boat. Fill with warmed up leftover mashed potatoes and top with shredded cheese yum-yum!

I have just LOVED reading the comments on this post. Y'all have really warmed my heart. I thought this might be too basic a "recipe" to share. Let me tell ya, it has been so wroth it just to read the comments and share in everyone's memory of this sandwich. It's kind of the All-American classic really that gets overlooked. Yet, so many of us enjoyed this as kids! My parents did lots of sandwiches like this for us because we were always on a tight budget. It holds such a good memory for me and I can see it does for y'all as well. Thank you so much for sharing your stories with me!

My X husband used to love fried bologna sandwiches with cheddar cheese on it.. with katchup. I prefered mustard the few times I ate one. Raw bologna I wont touch with a 10 foot pole (bad experience in Mexico when I was a kid) but the fried was actually not bad & tolerable..

We love fried baloney sandwiches. We have them quite regularly, not as often as when I was a kid, but they still are alive and well in this TN household. My kids never really learned to appreciate baloney, but that's okay, they are old enough to buy their own food! I prefer it thin, fried crispy and dark around the edges, on white bread with melted American cheese with mustard. My hubbie prefers mayo, must be Hellman's, of course. To get an even fry, I always cut little slits around it so it won't bubble up in the center. That's the way my mama did it, so as you say…that's the best! It is funny that you posted this. My brother in law told me when I first started my blog that I should create a post telling people how to make a perfect fried baloney sandwich. i just haven't gotten around to it yet. We seem to think no one would be interested in something so simple and uneventful. Well, many folks are probably eating more of the stuff, since it is affordable. From the comments, it looks like you struck a memory. I bet "bologna" sales will increase a little! Thanks for an entertaining post. I think I will fry me one up for lunch today, with a side of Lay's Potato Chips on the side. 🙂

My Mom use to fry bologna when we were kids for sandwiches. I went to a restaurant a few years ago and my cousin ordered a fried bologna sandwich with peppers. It was put on Italian bread and the peppers were fried. Personally I don't like that but she thought it was really good.

Like some of the other posters Mother sometimes fried up some baloney for breakfast, slits cut around the outer edge so it didn't curl up in the skillet. And now with my children, one of their favorite things is to head to the mountains with a picnic of "loney", cheese, chips, dip and some whole dill pickles … ahhh!

Oh my! This is the first time I've seen a recipe for fried baloney! LOVE IT!!!! I grew up eating them…introduced to them by my grandmother. Crispy edges and a little brown…the softest white bread…yellow mustard!

My "uber-healthy-eating" youngest daughter is expecting her first child and we were talking about how nowadays they can't eat raw lunch meat b/c of listeria. I told her she'd just have to fry her baloney..she immediately said,"oooh, fried baloney. with mustard. GOSH that sounds good." You can take the girl out of the country…….

I ate this growing up as well (what kid didn't?) but, fried baloney is the ONLY way I like boloney — never cold or "raw" as I would call it. We fried it in a pan with a slit cut into it (made a pac man shape) and fried it until it was literally black. Slap it on Wonder white bread, no condiments at all, and there you have it. I don't like the idea of mayo because fried baloney is already fatty, but, I really like your idea of mustard and fresh tomato a lot, I think I will try that next time!

Our favorite is our version of the South Boston Speedway boloney "burgers". Thick cut baloney either grilled or pan fried, lots of sauteed sweet onion. Use the pan drippings to "butter" the buns, grill or broil them til lightly browned,then top with "secret sauce" which is a mixture of mustard and mayonnaise.Elbow lickin'good!

Was browsing through your wonderful recipes tonight and came across this oe for fried bologna. I just had to smile thinking of all the fried bologna sandwiches I ate as a child. My mom and dad had 6 kids to feed and 2 of them were boys who were bottomless pits! I was blessed with 3 boys of my own and they had never known the beauty of this simple sandwich until the oldest was visiting a friend and e came home telling me all about how his mom had made fried bologna sandwiches and did I know how to make them!? I nearly fell over! This was my child who was such a picky eater telling me about fried bologna! Needless to say all my sons became acquainted with this sandwich. Thanks for posting it and bringing back this memory.

We did this as a child and placed the bologna with cut up cheese placed in the center and microwaved. The bologna rolls up around the cheese then place on bread with mustard and half into sandwich. YUM

If I wanted my kids home for supper all I had to do was tell them we was having bologna burgers. I like the small rolls of bologna cut in thick slices and cooked on the bbq and then put on a hamburg bun topped with ketchup mustard relish cheese slice and slices of dill pickles. Quick easy supper.

What wonderful memories! Thank you all. My mom's sandwich was pan fried bologna , with a slice of cheese and mayo on Wonder Bread. We had so little money in the 40s and 50s.. but we thought we ate like kings! What a wonderful thread.

As kids we didn't have a lot of money. My mom would buy bologna in a "roast" size piece. She would score it across the top and stick some whole cloves in it. Then the best part was, she put brown sugar over the top and baked it in the oven. The top got very crispy, and caused many a fight over who got the top pieces…lol….it was delicious!!